Home
by TessaStarDean
Summary: Angell goes through a difficult time, and Adam is there to help her through it.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Big thanks to JaydenBell for looking over this fic and making sure that it actually got done. All mistakes, however, are mine and not hers ;)**

Adam looked on in disbelief. He was fairly certain that he had never seen Jessica Angell in this bar, and he had definitely never seen her so…drunk. His eyes widened as he watched her dance, her hips swaying with the music in a way that had plenty of guys staring.

He thought about just walking away. But Adam knew the guys that Angell was dancing with, and they were bad news – not to mention the fact that it was obvious that she was trashed. He couldn't just leave her there. Taking a deep breath, he moved out onto the dance floor.

When Jess saw him, her entire face lit up. She turned from the other guys and immediately looped her arms around his neck, bringing her body right up against his.

"Ross," she purred. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"A-Angell," he stuttered, eyes widening as her hands slid down his chest and around his hips. "You feeling okay?"

She reached up and kissed him just below the ear. "I'm fine," she whispered, her breath hot on his skin. "You?"

Adam tried not to jump out of his skin when she continued to kiss his neck, her tongue darting out to taste him. "I-I'm good. I was thinkin', maybe…" He suppressed a moan as her hands traveled over his torso. "Maybe we should get you home."

"I like the sound of that."

Adam chose not to answer and led her off of the dance floor. But as soon as they were outside, Jess pushed him into an alley and pinned him to the wall. He knew that he should push her away – hell, he knew that that was really his only option. But Jessica Angell was a very attractive woman, and Adam would be lying to himself if he said he hadn't thought about it.

She ground her body against his, snapping him out of his thoughts. Her hands slipped under his shirt and up his chest, and this time Adam couldn't help but groan aloud. Ignoring the pain in his groin and gathering all of his self-control, he tangled his fingers in her hair – trying not to notice how soft it was – and pulled her head away from his neck.

"Jessie," he said, his voice breathless. "We…we gotta get you home."

"Mmm…" she murmured. "You that anxious to get me home, Ross?"

He swallowed hard at the way she was looking at him, and led her back out to the street. Her hands were still moving over him, but Adam focused on hailing a cab and getting her into it.

"Where ya headed?" the cabbie asked.

Adam opened his mouth to respond, but then realized that he didn't know.

"Jess?" he asked nervously. "Please tell me you remember where you live."

She shook her head and started kissing his neck again. "Take me home with you."

He knew that was a bad idea, probably the worst ever. But he had to take her somewhere. Leaning back against the seat, he sighed and gave the cabbie his address.

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He breathed a sigh of relief when the cab finally pulled up in front of his building. The ride had been absolute torture – Jess was very determined, and Adam could still feel her hand moving up and down the inside of his thigh. He had had to dig his fingernails into his palms just to keep from grabbing and kissing her. Eventually she had passed out on his shoulder, and the rest of the ride had been uneventful.

Paying the cabbie, Adam wondered how he was going to get her upstairs. He was afraid of waking her, since he wasn't sure if he could turn her down if she started touching him again. Thankful that he lived on the first floor, he gathered her up in his arms and carried her into the building.

It was a struggle, but somehow Adam got her into his apartment and onto his bed. Jess didn't even stir, and for a moment he just stared down at her. Something had to be wrong to make her drink herself into a stupor, and he wished that he knew what it was. Shaking his head, he leaned down and slipped her shoes off before pulling the covers up around her. He let his touch linger as he brushed a lock of hair out of her face. Then he turned and left the room, heading for the shower.

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Adam was startled out of sleep by the sound of someone fiddling with the lock. He opened his eyes and stretched, his back groaning in protest at having slept on the couch. As he looked around the room, his gaze landed on Angell, struggling to get out of the apartment.

"Jess?" he asked, slowly sitting up.

She turned to look at him, her eyes wide with terror. "I, I have to go."

"Jess, wait. Nothing happened last night. It's okay."

She shook her head violently, focusing again on the door. "It's not alright. I shouldn't have…oh God…"

"Talk to me," he urged quietly. "Something's obviously bothering you."

"I can't."

Tears were running down her cheeks, and Adam reached out a hand as he started to get up from the couch.

"You can –"

"I can't!" she sobbed.

She finally got the lock undone and wrenched the door open, escaping out into the hallway. Adam lunged forward, but his legs caught in the blanket and he went tumbling to the ground. Cursing loudly, he fought to free himself. When his feet were clear, he pushed off of the floor and bolted after her.

But by the time he got outside, she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to all those who have read and reviewed :) This was one of my favorite stories to write, and I'm glad that you guys are enjoying it. Thanks again to my wonderful beta, and all remaining mistakes are mine alone ;P**

**Oh, and none of the characters belong to me. Obviously - have you seen who I ship?  
**

Jess fought back tears as she moved down the hallway. She knew that she probably shouldn't be at work, but the alternative just seemed so much worse. Taking a deep breath, she kept walking, determined not to lose it in front of all these people.

When she reached Stella's office, Angell paused. She wasn't in the habit of opening up to people, and a part of her told her to turn around and walk away. But she needed a friend, and she knew that she could trust Stella. Making her decision, she knocked.

The older detective looked up and smiled. "Hey, Angell." When she saw the expression on Jess' face though, her smile faded. "What's wrong?"

"I was wondering…if we could talk."

"Of course."

Jess turned and shut the door firmly. When Stella raised her eyebrows, she shrugged and sat down, not meeting her eyes.

"It's private."

Stella set her pen down and leaned back in her chair. "Okay."

"I, uh…I screwed up last night."

The other woman's eyes narrowed. "Professionally?"

Angell shook her head. "No. I…I screwed up with a friend. Or a potential friend. Someone I don't wanna hurt."

"What happened?" Stella asked gently.

Jess stared down at the floor, playing with her fingers. "I got drunk. Really, really drunk. I'm not even sure which bar I was at. Anyway…I was dancing with some guys, and then…and then Adam showed up."

An eyebrow shot up again. "Adam Ross?"

"Yeah. And that's when…." She trailed off, so ashamed of her behavior that she wasn't sure she could admit it to someone else.

"Jess –"

"I tried to get him to sleep with me," she blurted out, her eyes squeezed shut. "I woke up in his bed this morning."

Stella's eyes widened. "Oh. So you two…?"

"No! No. He was a perfect gentlemen. He got me into a cab, and took me back to his place…I woke up fully clothed, and he was on the couch."

"Okay, so nothing bad happened. I'm sure if you just apologize –"

"I can't."

"Why not? Adam's a nice guy, Jess. He –"

"I practically had my hand down his pants, Stella."

Getting up, Stella walked around until she was in front of Jess, and sat on the edge of her desk.

"Jess, this isn't something you have to avoid. I know you're embarrassed, and that you'd rather not talk to him. But if you do that, it will never go away, and you two will never get past this. You've been becoming good friends lately…don't lose that because you got upset and got drunk." She paused for a moment. "Why did you get drunk? You're not usually a big drinker."

"I'm not ready to talk about that," she whispered, her head down.

Stella nodded. "Okay. I get that. Though you might want to think about opening up to Adam. It'll probably go a long way to explaining your behavior last night."

"Will he…do you think he'll forgive me?"

She gave her a small smile. "I do."

Wiping at her eyes, Jess stood up. "Thanks, Stella."

The older woman pulled her into a tight embrace. "Anytime, Jess. Remember that we're here, okay?"

She nodded. "I know."

Turning, she left the office on shaky legs. She still wanted to just ignore the problem, but she knew that that wasn't an option – she wasn't willing to lose Adam as her friend. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to move toward his office.

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She had planned on knocking. But as she stood in the doorway, Jess saw Adam standing behind his desk, bent over as he read through a file. She wondered how he could ever forgive her for the position she had put him in the night before and –

Her eyes narrowed as they locked on his neck. Just above his shirt collar was a dark purple bruise, and Angell was once again hit by waves of shame.

"Oh my God," she murmured. "I gave you a hickey?"

His head shot up at the sound of her voice, and for a minute he just stared at her. "Actually, you uh…you gave me a few."

Jess closed her eyes. "Oh God, Adam. I am so sorry."

"It's okay –"

"No, it's not." She put her hands over her eyes. "I had no right –"

Adam walked over until he stood right in front of her. Reaching up, he gently took a hold of her hands and pulled them away from her face.

"Jess?" he asked as he reached behind her and shut the door. "Talk to me."

She couldn't help the tears that built in her eyes, her skin warm where his thumbs were rubbing on her wrists.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He gave her a small smile. "It's okay," he said firmly. "I just…you know you can talk to me, right? Whatever's bothering you –"

"It's my brother," she blurted, tears falling down her face as she shook her head.

Adam's hands moved to cup her face, his thumbs brushing away her tears. "Talk to me, Jessie ," he murmured.

"He's dead."

With that, Jessica broke. Her shoulders shook as her sobs overcame her, and she didn't struggle when Adam pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly, running his hands up and down her back as she finally let go.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. I'm glad that this story is going over so well. And a huge thanks to my beta, once again :)**

"You okay?" Adam asked as he let them into his apartment.

She shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "It's just…I was freaking out last time I was here."

He gave her a small smile. "Only for part of it. Mostly, you were asleep." Her stomach growled and he frowned. "You're hungry?"

"A little." Her stomach growled again, and she rolled her eyes. "Okay, a lot."

He led her into the kitchen and gestured at the table. "Sit down. I'll make us some dinner."

"You cook?" Jess asked as she sat down.

"Yeah."

"Did your mom teach you?"

His expression tightened slightly. "Uh…no. My girlfriend in college, actually." He rifled through his cabinets. "Looks like the only stuff I've got is for spaghetti. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," she said, the faintest hint of a smile on her face. "Comfort food."

Adam looked at her for a moment and then nodded, before turning to the stove and starting to cook.

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After dinner was finished, the two of them settled down on the couch. Jess brought her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. Adam watched her for a minute, trying not to fidget.

"Do you…do you wanna talk about it?" he asked finally.

"No," she admitted. "But I want to tell you," she added in a quieter voice.

"You don't owe me anything, Jess."

"I know. But…" She took a deep breath and met his eyes. "I feel safe with you. Last night, at the bar…I was thinking about going home with one of those guys. But then you showed up, and…A big part of me was relieved that you showed up, Adam. Because you're someone that I know. Someone I trust. And I knew that no matter how trashed I was, you would keep me out of trouble…you would take care of me. And that's what you did, even when I tried to get you into bed."

Adam shrugged uncomfortably. "You needed a friend, not…not something you'd regret in the morning."

She reached out and rested her hand on his for a moment, squeezing gently. Then she took another deep breath.

"I grew up with four brothers," she explained quietly. "And I loved it. They were annoying and overprotective, and nosy…it was great. They took care of me. When they found out that I wanted to be a cop, they all got so worried. I'm the baby of the family, you know? But they supported me. I know that I could show up on any of their doorsteps, and they'd just take me in, no matter what I needed.

Jeremy was the oldest. He threatened my first boyfriend in high school, and taught me how to drive. He was the first one to hug me after I graduated from the Academy." Her eyes watered and the tears spilled over as she struggled to continue.

"They found him in his apartment," she whispered. "He…he had slit his wrists."

Adam's eyes widened and he reached for her, pulling her close. "Oh, Jessie," he murmured.

She shook her head. "I didn't even know anything was wrong. He and his girlfriend broke up a couple months ago, but…I didn't know," she repeated, her eyes pleading as she stared at him. "How could I not know how much pain he was in?" she demanded.

Adam thought for a moment. "Sometimes we just can't," he answered finally. "I know that's not a good enough answer, but it's true. It's not your fault, Jess. It was his choice not to let you in."

She frowned. "So it's his fault?"

"Does somebody have to be to blame?"

"Right now," she said quietly, "yes."

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A knock on the bathroom door made Jessica jump. She turned as the door opened slowly, and her brother David poked his head in.

"Hey, Jessie," he murmured. "You okay?"

She sighed, turning back to the mirror and running her fingers through her hair. "Do you think anyone would notice if I just hid in here all night?"

He gave her a small smile. "Probably. But I'll keep your secret if I can hide with you." David paused, looking at her black dress. "You look pretty," he said quietly.

Her eyes watered. "I'm not sure you're supposed to look good at a wake."

"I don't think it matters what you wear, Jessie. We're here to say goodbye."

She slammed her fist down onto the counter. "We shouldn't have to!" A few tears sliding down her face, Jess covered her eyes with one hand. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just don't know how to do this."

David pulled her into a tight hug. "I know," he murmured. "None of us do." He held her for a minute longer. "We have to go out there."

She nodded, pulling away. "I know."

"You ready?"

"No," she answered honestly. "But let's go."

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She couldn't look at the casket. Jeremy was dressed in a nice suit, with his hands clasped in front of him, the ugly scars from the razorblades well-hidden. But she still couldn't look. Instead, she kept her eyes on the people who came to pay their respects, hugging each of them in turn, and accepting their hackneyed words of condolence.

"Ya look like you haven't slept in a week."

Her head snapped up at the familiar voice, and she found herself staring into the blue eyes of Don Flack. Without even realizing it, she smiled, grateful to see him. Then her gaze moved behind him and she saw that they were all there – Stella and Mac, followed by the rest of the team. Tears filled her eyes.

"How did you guys know?" she asked quietly.

Don's expression softened. "Adam. You shoulda told us, Jess. We coulda helped you."

She shrugged. "I didn't know how."

He smiled. "That's the beauty of family. You don't have to."

He pulled her into a tight hug, and held her, letting her know that she wasn't alone. Jess had thought that she would shy away from their sympathy, but as Flack moved down the line and Stella took her turn to hug her, she realized that this was exactly what she needed. The words that came from her friends didn't feel empty or meaningless, and some of them didn't have to say much of anything at all.

And then Adam was standing in front of her, his blue eyes searching hers as he reached out and lightly took a hold of her wrist.

"I hope you don't mind," he said quietly. "But I thought you could use some support."

She didn't know what to say – not that it mattered, since nothing would come out. Instead, she stepped forward and embraced him, letting the tears fall from her eyes. Adam held her tightly, one hand running through her hear as he spoke softly to her.

"It's okay, Jessie," he whispered. "We've got you. We're not gonna let you fall."

Only a few more moments, and Jess knew that she had to pull away. The line was starting to back up behind him, and she was afraid that soon she was going to break down entirely. Letting go of him, she gave him a watery smile.

"I'm really glad you came."

Adam nodded, squeezing her hand. "Anything you need, Jess. Anything."

She nodded and watched him walk over to join the others. David watched as well, and then his eyes slid over to his sister.

"You used to beat boys up for calling you Jessie," he murmured with a small smile. "He must be a good friend.

She wiped at her eyes as the next person in line moved up to hug her. "A very good friend," she whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks again to the readers, the feedbackers, and my beta. You all rock. Oh, and I took some liberties with Adam's past here. Hope you guys don't mind. **

Adam looked up from his computer when he heard someone knocking on the door to his apartment. Frowning, he glanced down at the clock on his screen and wondered who would be visiting so late. When the knocking continued, though, he got up and hurried across the room to the door.

"Jess," he whispered, when he saw her standing on the other side.

"Hey," she said nervously, giving him a small smile. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

He shook his head, standing aside so that she could come in. "No. I was just checking my email. What's up?"

She shrugged. "I just…I got sick of being surrounded by so many people. I was thinking you and I…" Jess shook her head. "I'm sorry. I should have called first –"

Adam got between her and the door as she tried to leave. "No, Jess. It's okay. I'm…I'm glad you came."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Really." He looked around. "Do you want something to drink? Or something to eat?"

"I've been given more food by my mother in the past three days than I thought my body could hold." She smiled at him kindly. "But I'd love a beer if you've got any."

"As long as you promise to not get drunk," he said, his voice light so that she knew he was only kidding.

"I promise."

Adam grabbed the beers and then led them both to the living room, motioning for her to sit down. Her posture wasn't nearly as guarded this time around, and she leaned back against the cushions of the couch, taking a long drink from the bottle.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked suddenly. "Or…we could not talk. We could watch a movie, or…I have a Wii…"

Jess smiled and reached over, squeezing his hand. "I think…I'd rather talk."

"Okay." There was another pause. "How's your family doing?"

Her smile faded as she shrugged. "None of us is really talking about it right now. My mom is just cooking and cleaning a lot, and taking care of all the details. My dad…he hasn't really said a lot."

"And you?" he asked quietly.

"Better than I was." Her eyes filled with tears as she stared down at her hands. "I just…I wish I knew what he was thinking…when it happened. I keep asking myself what I could have done. How I could have helped him…"

"What was he like?" Adam asked slowly.

Jess gave him a watery smile as she turned to face him and rested her head against the back of the couch. "He's…he was a sweetheart. He worked in the HR department of an investment bank downtown. Loved his work. Loved his girlfriend. It broke his heart when Molly left him. But I thought…we all get dumped, you know? I didn't think it would push him over the edge. I didn't even know he _had_ an edge." She wiped at her eyes. "He was a soccer star, in college. Could've gone pro, but he loved his work more." Shaking her head, Jess took another long drink from her beer. "They deemed it a suicide. Officially. The investigation is over."

"I'm sorry, Jess."

She let out a bitter laugh. "It's so screwed up. I almost wish he'd been murdered. It…it would make more sense."

Silence fell over them once again. Adam sipped at his beer, but he saw the empty look coming into his friend's eyes. Reaching forward, he gently took the bottle out of her hands and set it down on the coffee table. He went to lean back again, but Jess grabbed onto his hand, clinging to it tightly. The desperation caught him off-guard, but he forced himself to relax, and to let his thumb trail back and forth across her knuckles.

"When's the funeral?" he asked quietly.

She sniffed. "Tomorrow morning." Biting her bottom lip, she focused on their hands. "Will…Do you think you could be there?"

He squeezed her hand. "Of course I'll be there, Jess."

"Thank you, Adam. I'm really glad you're here."

"You don't have to thank me. We're friends."

Jess sighed, and scooted a little closer, resting her head on his shoulder tentatively. "I'm tired of talking now. If that's okay."

He kissed her forehead. "That's fine."

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Even though he understood it, Adam hated that he couldn't be closer to Jessica during the funeral. He sat a few rows back with the rest of the lab, and watched as she clung to her brother David's hand, tears running down her face as the eulogy was given. The service over, he watched as the casket was carried down to the hearse, and once again wished that he could be there beside her, to tell her that everything was going to be okay, but she disappeared into the limo with her family, and he followed behind in Flack's car.

"This guy was really loved," Don murmured as they stood together in Angell's living room afterward. "There were a ton of people at the funeral."

"And a lot here as well," Stella observed. "All these people, and no one knew how much he was hurting." She shook her head. "I can't imagine what Jess and her family are going through right now."

"She's handling it," Adam said quietly, his hands in his pockets. "It's hard, but…she's handling it."

Stella smiled at him. "You've been a good friend to her, Adam."

He blushed and ducked his head. "I just hope I've been able to help her a little bit."

"You've helped more than just a little." He looked up to see Jess standing beside him, a sad smile on her face as she rested a hand on his arm. "I think I'd be in a lot more trouble if it weren't for you."

She hugged the group, quietly thanking each of them for coming out. When she was back at Adam's side, she rested her hand on his arm again.

"Can I steal you away for a minute?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, sure."

Nodding at the others, she gently pulled him away, leading him toward the backyard. Jess hooked her arm through his and led him over to the picnic table.

"How are you?" he asked quietly, slipping an arm around her waist.

"Better than I thought I would be," she admitted. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Of course."

"Let's talk about anything but where we are or why we're here. Anything."

He smiled. "Okay. Um. I'm not really good at coming up with subjects, though."

She thought for a moment, staring out at her mother's garden. "Tell me about your family."

His first reaction was to say no, to steer the conversation elsewhere. But as he glanced over at her, he saw the waiting in her eyes, the need to talk about something other than the pain around her.

"I, uh…there's really just me and my dad."

"No siblings?"

He shook his head. "There was…I had a little sister."

Jess reached out and touched his face gently. "Had?"

"She, um…she died."

"Oh, Adam…"

"It's okay," he said quickly. "It was a long time ago."

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

He took his arm away from her waist, and Jess saw that his hands were shaking. Reaching out, she took them in her own, running her thumbs over his knuckles. Adam stared at their hands for a moment, and then he took a deep breath.

"She…she went missing. Somebody took her. A few weeks later, they, uh…they found her body. She was only six years old…" He shook his head. "It killed my mom. She was gone six months later, and since then…it's just been him and me."

She squeezed his hands and then rested her head on his shoulder. "Losing a sibling…that's one thing I didn't want us to have in common."

He tried to give her a smile. "I was supposed to taking your mind off of sad things."

Jess shook her head. "I like getting to know more about you and your life."

"Even the bad parts?"

"Even the bad parts," she said firmly.

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As they walked up the stairs to her apartment, Jess tentatively slipped her hand into his, leaning against his shoulder.

"I told my family about you. About the way you've been helping me through all this."

Adam raised his eyebrows. "Yeah?

Jess nodded. "And my mother wants you to know that you're invited to Sunday dinner from now on. You don't have to go, but…"

"Do you want me to go?"

She didn't look up at him as she shrugged. "I'd love for you to go. But I also know you probably have better things to do than hang out with my family."

"I don't, actually. I mean…I'm free. And…and I'd like to go. As long as it's okay with you."

They stopped at her door and she turned to face him, a smile on her face. "Every Sunday at noon we meet at my parents' house for dinner and whatever sports game is on."

"I'm off on Sunday. Do you…Can I pick you up?"

"I'd like that."

Leaning forward, she gently pressed a kiss to his cheek before wrapping her arms around him tightly. He didn't hesitate in tightening his hold on her, willing to give her any strength he had.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Once again, thank you for all the feedback and support on this fic. I know I haven't been good about responding lately, and I apologize for that. But here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy, and as always, thanks to JaydenBell for the beta and encouragement!!**

"Breathe," Jess murmured as she and Adam walked up the path to her parents' house.

He gave her a nervous small. "Trying."

She squeezed his hand. "You've got nothing to be afraid of. My family already thinks you're a great guy."

"They don't even know me."

"Not yet," she admitted. "But they do know that you were there for me. And my mother knows what I tried to do that night I was drunk, and she knows that you were the perfect gentleman. So you've already got major points."

He didn't have time to respond to that as Jess knocked on the door and her mother let them in. Adam had been trying to work out what he was going to say when he met her family, but everything flew out of his head as Patricia Angell reached forward and hugged him tightly. Next thing he knew, he was being introduced to Jess' three remaining brothers – David, Jacob and Nathan – and then to her father, Allan Angell. He shook all of their hands, unsure of the words that were coming out of his mouth. Finally, Patricia stepped in and saved him.

"C'mon, boys. Let the poor man sit down and breathe."

They all moved toward the table, but Adam hesitated. "Do you need any help, Mrs. Angell?"

She smiled kindly at him. "Call me Patricia. And thank you for the offer, but Jessica and I can manage. You go sit down."

"His mother raised him right," she murmured as she and Jess moved into the kitchen.

Her daughter winced. "Actually, she didn't. His mom died when he was really young."

Patricia paused, her gaze sliding back into the dining room as she looked at Adam with newfound respect.

"Then we'll just have to make sure he knows he's a part of our family," she said firmly.

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"So you're a CSI?" David asked as they all began to eat.

Adam nodded, trying to swallow the food in his mouth. "Yeah."

"Do you go out in the field?"

"I, uh…I'm starting to now. But for the most part, I'm in the lab."

"Where did you grow up?" Jacob interjected.

"Phoenix."

"You still got family there?"

Jess could see the deer-in-headlights look in Adam's eyes. He was handling the questions alright, but she knew he was nervous and uncomfortable with all the attention being on him. She opened her mouth to change the subject, but her father beat her to it.

"Alright, boys, settle down. I'm sure Adam would rather eat than play twenty questions."

Adam gave him a relieved smile. "Thanks."

Allan shrugged. "You're my daughter's friend, and you've helped her through a difficult time. That's enough for me. You're always welcome at our table, Adam. Don't forget that."

Jess thought she saw a tear in his eye as Adam nodded and said thank you.

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"So you survived," Jess said as they walked up to her apartment.

"Yeah," he said, a smile on his face. "I had a good time, Jess."

"I'm glad." She paused as they reached her door. "You're invited anytime. I mean, you don't have to go again –"

"I'd really like to." She stopped when he cut her off, and Adam shrugged sheepishly. "They were really nice. It…it was almost like having…a family."

"You do have a family," she said firmly. "And don't you forget it, okay?"

His smile widened. "I won't."

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"It's nice to see you sittin' in that desk again."

Jess looked up and smiled at her partner. "It's nice to _be_ back. I've missed this."

"And we've missed you," he said seriously, sitting across from her. "I'm glad you're back."

"Watch it, Flack. You're gettin' all mushy on me."

"Sorry. I'll make sure to watch that. Hey, I gotta go question a witness. You wanna come? I can bring ya up to speed in the car."

"Sure." They both got up and walked out of the precinct, heading for the car. "So…" Flack said as they climbed into the SUV.

Angell raised an eyebrow at him. "So…what?"

He shrugged. "You and Ross."

"Me and Ross what? Just spit it out, Flack. You suck at subtlety."

He laughed at that and nodded. "Alright. What's goin' on between you two?"

She frowned. "Nothing. He's my friend."

"And you two have been spendin' an awful lot of time with each other, and you blushed as soon as I mentioned his name."

The blush deepened. "I did not."

"You did so."

Angell sighed, glaring at him. "So what if I did?"

"I'm just askin', is all. Enquiring minds want to know."

"Isn't this weird?" she asked after a moment. "I mean, you and I…"

"We had one date, Jess. And besides, I told you about being interested in…someone."

She rolled her eyes. "You still have trouble saying it, don't you? She can't hear you from here. She's in her office. At the lab."

"Yeah, yeah. I think we were talkin' about you and Ross here, not me an'…" She looked over at him and he sighed. "Not me and Stell."

"Finally," she muttered. When he just kept glancing over at him, she sighed as well. "I don't know."

"Huh?"

"You asked what was going on between me and Adam. And the answer is that I don't know."

"But you've got feelings for him."

"I think so. I just…He was there for me during the worst time of my life, Flack. I need to make sure that my feelings for him aren't just…gratitude. Does that make sense?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it makes sense. Just…don't take too long thinkin' about it, Jess. You don't wanna miss out on somethin' great, you know?"

She gave him a small smile and then looked out the window. "I know."

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It was two hours before they got back to their desks. Their "witness" had turned into a suspect pretty quickly, and then he had decided to bolt. As much as she hated it when they ran, Jess couldn't deny that it felt good to be back in the swing of things.

"What's that?" Don asked, pointing at her desk.

She frowned and looked down at the white bag. Her frown quickly faded though as she found a card inside, along with a double chocolate chip cookie.

_Jess – _

_Hope your first day back is going well. _

_Adam_

"Jess?"

She looked up to find Flack staring at her. Shaking her head, she handed him the note and then reached in for her cookie. Don read the note and then nodded approvingly.

"Looks like those feelings might be mutual, Jess," he said pointedly.

She just blushed and ate her cookie.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Only one more chapter to go after this! Thank you to all those who have read and reviewed - I know that Adam/Angell isn't the most normal of pairings, but I'm so glad that you're all enjoying it. And once again, thank you to my wonderful beta Jayden Bell.**

**Disclaimer: I own Jess' family but any CSI characters are not mine. **

"What is that?" Jess asked as her brother David walked into the living room.

"Nothing."

"It's a box. You can't lie to me and say that it's nothing."

He smirked. "Well if you already knew what it was, then why did you ask?"

Jess rolled her eyes. "What's _in_ the box, blockhead?"

"Jessica, don't call your brother names," her mother called out from the kitchen.

Adam chuckled in the background, and as Angell turned to glare at him, David smiled broadly.

"It's a Wii," he explained. "I thought we could try it today since there aren't any games on."

"Aren't the Pats playing?" Adam asked.

Jess opened her mouth to warn him, but her father walked into the room and cut her off.

"Adam?" he said slowly.

"Yes, Mr. Angell?"

"We do not mention that team in this house unless we're celebrating the fact that they were defeated. Understood?"

Adam swallowed hard and nodded. "Absolutely."

Allan smiled and took a seat on the couch next to him before nodding at his son. "So what's this thing?"

"It's a Wii," David explained as he opened the box and started setting the system up.

"That means absolutely nothing to me," he admitted.

"It's a video game system," Adam told him. "You remember Nintendo?"

"Yes. The boys used to fight over it constantly."

"Well, this is…it's the newest version of the Nintendo, basically. But it's more interactive. When you play baseball, you actually have to swing the controller and stuff."

Nathan stood in the doorway, a beer in hand. "You play?" he asked.

Adam looked up at him. "Uh, yeah. I've played."

Jess laughed. "Pull out Mario Kart," she told her brothers. "Adam will leave you all choking on his dust."

David grinned. "Let's play then."

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"This is insane," Jacob commented an hour later. "You're like, the Mario Kart Master."

Adam blushed. "I wouldn't say that."

"I would," he said firmly. "You've kicked all our butts multiple times."

"I'm, uh…I'm a bit of a geek."

"Nothing wrong with that," Nathan interjected. "David here wanted to be a chemical engineer for awhile."

"Yeah?" Adam asked. "What happened with that?"

David shrugged as he loaded a new game into the Wii. "I took my first science class in college. The registrar said it was the fastest major switch she had ever seen." He glanced at Adam. "What about you? Did you always want to be a scientist?"

He shook his head. "No. For awhile, I wanted to be a racecar driver. And then I wanted to be a vet."

Jess tilted her head and looked at him with surprise in her eyes. "Why didn't you go into veterinary science, then?"

"My uh…my dog died. It was the worst thing ever and I cried for days. I knew right then I could never actually put an animal to sleep."

"I'd be a wreck if I had to do that," Jacob muttered.

Nathan laughed. "It's true. He cried when his goldfish died."

"Hey, I loved that thing!"

"Do you even remember its name?"

Jacob frowned. "That's irrelevant. I loved the fish _then_. I didn't say anything about loving it _now._"

They all laughed at that, and then Patricia stuck her head into the room.

"Will one of you help me with dessert?"

"I will, Mrs. Angell."

She sighed. "Adam, it's been four months. When are you going to call me Patricia?"

He blushed. "Sorry." Looking back at Jess, he held up his controller. "You wanna play for me, Jessie?"

"Yeah." She took the controller from him and settled down between her brothers as Adam got up and left the room.

"Still letting him call you 'Jessie,' huh?" David asked with a smirk.

She punched him in the arm, never taking her eyes from the game. "Shut up."

"You're pretty good at this, Jess," Nathan commented, grimacing as he tried to maneuver one of the turns.

"Yeah, never pegged you for a gamer," Jacob said.

"I'm not. But Adam has this at home, and we play a lot. So I've gotten pretty good."

"So you go over his place a lot?" David asked, unable to hide his smirk.

She punched him again and kept playing.

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"Please tell me you got some answers for me, Ross."

Adam smiled as he looked up to see Jess walking into the lab. "I do, actually."

"Enough to get this scumbag?"

"Yep." He pointed to the test results on the table. "There you go."

Jess frowned as she stared at the paper. "You don't actually expect me to understand any of this, right?"

Adam smiled and moved over to explain the results to her. As he opened his mouth, though, he heard a soft snicker behind him. Looking at Jess, he saw the way she blushed and kept her eyes locked on the ground, and he knew that she had heard it as well. Adam turned around and looked at the new lab tech.

"Something funny, Harris?" he asked crossly.

The tech looked up, his eyes lingering on Jess with a hint of amusement behind them. "I was just thinking it's a good thing these cops have us to explain things to them."

Adam's fists clenched as he glared at the guy. "And it's a damn good thing we have them to actually catch the bad guys. 'Cause I'm pretty sure if I put a gun in _your_ hand, you'd just shoot your foot off." He sighed and shook his head, turning back to the results. "Get out."

"Excuse me?"

"Get out!" Adam exclaimed, pointing to the door. "If you can't show respect to the people you work with, I don't want you in my lab."

Harris dropped what he was working on and held up his hands. "Fine," he bit out. "But Taylor's gonna hear about this."

Jess waited until the guy was gone before she turned to Adam. "Thanks," she said quietly. "You didn't have to do that."

"He's an ass," he said firmly. "Besides, normal people don't understand the complicated science stuff, Jess. That doesn't say anything bad about you." He took a deep breath. "You're smart – don't let anyone ever tell you different."

Giving him a small smile, she reached out and squeezed his arm. "Thank you." She nodded at the results. "So you gonna explain these to me or what?"

Adam chuckled. "Of course."

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"You're gonna fall asleep, aren't you?" Adam asked.

Jess shook her head as she sat beside him on the couch, even as she yawned loudly. "No."

He chuckled. "You're such a liar. If you don't like the movie, though –"

"No, no. I like it, Adam. I've just pulled too many doubles this week."

"Do you…we could turn it off. I mean, if you wanna go home and get some sleep."

She shook her head again before resting it on his shoulder. "I don't wanna go."

"Okay."

He turned back to watch the movie, but found that he couldn't pay much attention to it. Jess snuggled closer to him, and he took a deep breath as he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. Her left hand came up and rested on his chest, and within a matter of minutes, her breathing had evened out and he knew that she was asleep.

For a long time he just stared down at her, taking in how beautiful she looked. Then he reached up and turned off the light next to the couch, tightening his hold on her just a little as he turned his attention back to the movie.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: And it's over. Thanks so much for all the encouragement and feedback, and huge thanks to JaydenBell. All mistakes are mine, none of the CSI:NY characters belong to me, and I hope you enjoy :)**

"Dammit!" Jess exclaimed as she hung up her phone.

"You're getting called in?" Adam guessed, pausing outside of her apartment building.

"Yes," she muttered. "And I was looking forward to my mother's spaghetti."

"I'm sorry." He paused, looking down at the ground for a moment. "Would they…do you think it would be okay for me to go? I mean, I could bring you some back."

For a second, Jess just stared at him; then she smiled slowly. "You'd be willing to do that? Put up with my family without me?"

"I love your family, Jess," he said quietly.

"They love you, too," she assure him. "And it'd be fine for you to go. You can give all of them my apologies."

"You're sure?" he asked. "I mean…it's okay with you?"

"Of course it is."

Adam smiled at her. "Okay. I'll, um…I'll come back here afterward. Maybe we can watch a movie?"

"That sounds great." She stepped forward and hugged him tightly. "I'll see you later then?"

He nodded. "Later."

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"Adam," Patricia said warmly when she opened the door. "How are you?"

"Good. Sorry I'm late."

"That's okay," she said, ushering him in. "Come on, we were just sitting down."

"Adam," David called as they walked into the dining room. He reached out and shook the C.S.I.'s hand. "We were starting to think you guys weren't gonna make it." He frowned. "Where's Jess?"

"She, uh…she got called in to a scene. I'm under strict orders to bring her leftovers." He sat down and looked around nervously. "I hope it's okay that I came without her."

"Of course it is," Allan said firmly. "You're always welcome at this table, Adam. And not just because you're Jessica's friend."

"Speaking of friends," David interrupted as he filled his plate with spaghetti. "When are you going to ask my sister out?"

The whole table stopped, and Adam looked around, his eyes wide as saucers and his fork halfway in his mouth. Everyone seemed to be waiting for an answer, and he quickly slurped the rest of the noodles off of his fork before answering.

"I, uh…I didn't know I was supposed to."

Nathan frowned. "Did we read this wrong? 'Cause I thought…I mean, we all thought that you were interested in her."

"I am," he blurted. Then he blushed furiously. "I mean…Well, no. I meant that. I'm interested. I just…I didn't think that she…I mean…"

David smiled at him gently. "She's interested, Adam. Trust me. We've all just been waiting for you two to admit it."

"Oh. Really? And you're okay with that?"

Allan cleared his throat. "It's obvious that you two make each other happy. And I want my little girl happy, Adam."

Jacob laughed. "And it helps that we all like you."

When the others nodded in agreement, Adam couldn't help the goofy grin that spread across his face. "I'll, uh…I'll work on that, then."

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The last thing Jess had expected to see when she got home was Adam sitting outside of her apartment, a Tupperware container on the floor next to him. He had his arms wrapped around his knees, his eyes lost in thought, and for a minute, she just stood there and watched him. Then she remembered that he had been with her family, and a sudden worry gripped her.

"Adam?" she asked, stepping forward.

He looked up quickly, as though he had forgotten where he was. Then he was getting to his feet and wiping his hands nervously on his jeans.

"Jessie –"

"Oh God, they drove you crazy, didn't they? I'm so sorry, Adam. I shouldn't have left you alone with them."

He smiled at her. "No, Jessie, wait –"

She just kept talking over him. "I know they can be difficult to put up with sometimes, and my mother asks a ton of questions, and my brother just don't know when to shut up, but you have to know that they mean well. They like you, Adam, and –"

Jess didn't seem like she was going to stop rambling anytime soon, and he wasn't sure that he could wait for her to, anyway. Stepping forward, Adam rested his hands on her hips and pulled her closer before kissing her softly. Jess' breath caught in her throat, but the kiss was over almost as soon as it had begun, and it left her staring at him in disbelief.

"I didn't know I was supposed to," he murmured.

"Huh?"

"Your brothers, they asked me when I was going to ask you out, and –"

Jess closed her eyes and groaned. "Oh God –"

"I didn't…I had no idea you felt that way, Jessie. If I had, well…I would have done this a long time ago."

Slowly, she opened her eyes, a small smile on her face as hope welled in her chest. "Really?"

He kissed her again. "Really."

She looped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss, taking it deeper this time as he pulled her against him tightly.

"Then I'm very glad my family stuck their nose where it didn't belong," she laughed. Glancing down at the ground, she saw the plastic container again. "Leftovers?" she asked.

"Yeah. I was thinking maybe we could heat them up, have dinner while we watched that movie."

"Didn't you just eat with them?" she asked.

Adam shrugged. "It's your mom's spaghetti. I could eat it all day."

Jess laughed. "Then that sounds like a great plan to me."

She kissed him softly once more, and then turned towards her door, fishing her keys out of her purse. Adam bent down to get the leftovers, and was standing by the time she got the door open. Glancing back over her shoulder, Jess smiled at him and then slipped her hand into his, leading him into the apartment.


End file.
